Not the Brownhill pub but don’t know where it is.

If a non supporter tuned in to this site, he/she would undoubtedly assume that he has, indeed, lost the fans. However, a look on some of the Rovers Facebook sites would show a roughly 50/50 split as to Mowbray’s future here. The number of fans on the Facebook pages both fawning over Venky’s tenure and being willing to stick with TM, is staggering. We have ‘plateaued out’ following our promotion from L1 and, whilst stats bear this out, half of the Facebook lot think we’re still improving and the playoffs are attainable. Either this year or next with little or no change in the squad.

Too right Nick! Loving your family history by the way. I haven’t been on this thread for a while, so I’ve only caught up over the last few days. The photo of your great grandad, just like looking at your dad! My auntie lived on Bolton Road, opposite St Bartholomew’s, Rovers mad and also went to the 1928 Cup Final. Passed away a good few years ago but was still going on during the early Premier League years. Wish I’d asked her more about the final. You have my sympathy re the sciatica. I’m a fellow sufferer but have been free of it for three years. I know how to manage it, thankfully. I remember staying back in the Blackburn End after one game (with Arbitro actually), protesting at Kean/Venky’s and I was really struggling. Anyway, I look forward to the next instalment!!

Six of the best at the final whistle to those that were under par..

We never got to see what Gordon Lee could have done for us in the Second Division but I would have him in front of TM all day long.

From Ken Furphy’s time, right through until the very late 80s, when Uncle Jack rolled up, we didn’t have a pot to p!ss in. What we did have though, were proper football people running the club with a functional, local board of directors and a local chairman. We had a proper structure in place. We are currently stagnating in mid table and a likelihood that that is as far as we can go with the present manager in charge. At a ‘normal’ club, the chairman/chief executive/owners would be twitching and the manager would be feeling rather uneasy. We aren’t a ‘normal’ club though. I wouldn’t have confidence in Waggott having the ability to run a corner shop, let alone a football club. Waggott and Mowbray are mates and both are definitely on easy street. As if that weren’t enough, we have absentee owners who don’t have any nouse where football matters are concerned. Yes, they have continued to fund us but only as far as allowing us to tick over. I have absolutely no idea as to what their thoughts would be to providing further funds (FFP etc. permitting) to kick on and have a real push for promotion. They’re eternally in the background and say absolutely nothing. We won’t progress until we’re rid of TM in the short term and ideally Venky’s shortly thereafter.

I’m pretty sure he succeeded 😆

The lads inside Ewood, November 1959. Some great players on show. Ronnie must have been in his shop.

Just a few weeks left in the old Top Flight before relegation, brief hope, then decline.

Can’t remember it Elvis but I’ve just googled it and yes, a newsagents at Sudell Cross.

Thanks for that renrag! I grew up in that area of Darwen and, whilst I was only a kid in the early 60s, I hadn’t realised they had run the newsagents for that length of time. My parents had been friends of Ronnie and Val since the mid 60s.

Nine players listed but there are eleven in the photo. Three of those you can’t really tell who they are. I’m assuming one could be John Connelly, behind Ray Pointer?

Blackburn’s Mr Whippy (see bottom of door ?) handing out free laxative flavour ice creams to the Burnley players prior to the 1962 FA Cup Final. Well, they got beat, so I reckon it worked.

A bit more nostalgia.

Regarding losing both his England place and the captaincy, I was led to believe that the southern biased press made Ronnie the scapegoat for England’s 3-3 draw with Yugoslavia in May 1960, his last match. England had twice been behind in the game before scoring late on to snatch a draw.

His last England cap was in 1960. To be honest, I can’t remember the exact date he bought the newsagents but I would guess mid to late 60s, rather than at the beginning of that decade. I may be wrong though.

Found this on a Facebook site the other day. Ronnie in his paper shop on the main road in Darwen, corner of Cavendish Street. Not dated but would have been very late 60s. Can’t see any current Premier League, ex England captain, players running a newsagents. Probably not any League 1 or 2 players either.

Found this on one of the Rovers Facebook sites. Not a good memory but nostalgia (I think!) nonetheless. Rovers fans shoehorned into the corner of the Holmesdale End, Playoffs 1989. Can’t see myself for some reason..?

Mid table teams usually win one, draw one and lose one. Then repeat. Then repeat. We’re now five games unbeaten. Maybe, just maybe, we’re moving up to that next level.

The Grand Final, last night, was one of the best Rugby League games I have ever seen. An absolute arm wrestle of a match. Saints won 8-4 with a freakish try right on 80 minutes. They had enjoyed the better of the possession and territory but Wigan’s defence was immense. When Wigan edged ahead 4-2 with 10 mins left, that could have been it but more drama was to come. St Helens levelled it to 4-4 with a harsh penalty for an alleged high tackle and then Wigan were awarded a penalty of their own with 2 mins remaining. They opted to try for the two points on offer instead of going for field position and going for the drop goal, which would have undoubtedly won the game. Zak missed, Saints came upfield, went for their own drop goal. They also missed but the ball bounced back off one of the posts, down into the field of play then spun wildly, taking it into the in goal area, where one of theirs touched the ball down to win the game. You couldn’t have written it. The tackling during the game was brutal and both teams must take credit for their defence and stamina. It’s not very often that low scoring games have you on the edge of your seat. To put (association) footballers to shame with their play acting and cheating feigning injury, Wigan’s centre Oliver Gildart tweeted a photo of himself with Joe Burgess, saying between them they had a broken finger and a broken jaw. Wigan’s Jackson Hastings took studs in the face, leaving him cuts to his forehead, eyebrow and cheek, two of which looked like they could have done with stitches. St Helens’ James Graham took a tackle early on that could have damaged one or more ribs (when that lad stays down, you know he’s hurt) and their Walmsley somehow managed to finish the game, despite being severely injured. All the aforementioned carried on playing, without even the hint of a whinge towards either the ref or their own bench. Most of these lads are on about £75k per YEAR or less. A big shout out to two legends of the game who retired after the match, Warriors’ Sean O’Loughlin and Saints’ James Graham. It’s been a pleasure to watch you both. What an advert for the game. If no one can get interested in Rugby League after that, then there’s no chance. I am deeply disappointed but there’s always next season. We go again.

Played for our Darwen junior school with Arbitro and Exiled in Toronto. Played for the first year at SMC going on to beat Witton Park in the Blackburn Schools final on Ewood. Was a left winger but didn’t really have any pace to talk about. I was always keen on Cross Country whilst at school and, later on, fell running. I could never really decide on either running or football and despite a few seasons in the Darwen League, my football finished when I dislocated and broke my right ankle. Thereafter it was fell running, cycling and swimming.

Not far out. Haven’t read the last ten pages yet but will enjoy doing so. Looked at the stats and it seems like we murdered them. Come on Rovers and TM. Let’s take the game to the opposition every time. This squad could just have what it takes.

I had the misfortune to work in Preston thirty years ago. Never met a true Preston fan, the odd one or two you could find were part timers who never went much and also had a ‘backup’ team like Liverpool. We used to go in the Blue Bell on Church Street where the landlord was a Rovers fan and the pub was adorned with Rovers pictures. Used to drive in through Higher Walton and remember seeing kids walking in to school wearing Rovers scarves. If ever there was an area with a disproportionate amount of fans of another club, it’s the Preston area and Rovers fans. Must be the main reason they have this feigned dislike of us. One of the best days out following Rovers was in September 1974, a nil nil draw, but we absolutely took over the place. Beat them 3-0 at Ewood over Christmas in front of over 24k. Fancy us tonight 2-0.

I like that last sentence. I’m going to use it whenever I can.

We lived in Zürich for six months back in 2009-10. I had a choice of watching either FC Zürich or Grasshoppers but, because of the kit, it was a no brainier. They were formed in 1886 by an English student called Tom Griffith and we were the inspiration for their blue and white halved kit.